


Tales of Winter

by ohmytheon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-02 18:12:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1059951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmytheon/pseuds/ohmytheon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ned and Catelyn didn't always love each other - at one point, they barely knew each other during their marriage - but many things can change over the years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breaking the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Writing something...happy? Only for these two, of course, because they make me sad. This is basically a bunch of one-shots that I've written and decided to compile into one thing. Might as well since they all fit and work together.

The sun had settled high in the sky by the time she finished giving Robb a bath. Though a mild-tempered baby, he squirmed whenever she tried to wash him. It was like he wanted to be dirty. One of the maids had said that she would give the boy a bath, but Catelyn had shooed the girl away. Robb was her child; she didn’t need anyone’s help in doing little things like this. Besides, despite the difficulty he caused, she rather enjoyed it. Once he finally calmed down in the warm water, he’d splash the water with his chubby, little hands and giggle brightly as she sang to him. Already he had a tuff of red hair that she would make stick up straight. By the time the bath came to an end, he didn’t want to leave the little tub.

“You just never make up your mind, do you?” Catelyn said to the baby as she dressed him on the table. He was such a sweet baby; he didn’t even struggle as she dressed him. She could only hope all of her children would be like this, though she doubted they would. Robb was only sixth months, but he had a bundle of energy that she sometimes could not explain. He rarely got fussy, but he was awake more often than not, which she thought was strange for a baby. She couldn’t remember Edmure being so energetic at this age. She carefully set him back down in the crib where he slowly drifted off to sleep. A warm bath always made him tired.

Catelyn sighed and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Though only nineteen, she sometimes felt far older than her age. As strange as it sounded, she was able to feel young again when with Robb. She was the Lady of Winterfell, but she there were nights when she longed to just be Catelyn Tully again, a foolish girl running around Riverrun. When she was with Robb, she could goof off and play with him. Whenever she walked out of these doors, she had to be a lady again and that meant telling people what to do and people expecting certain things of her. Sometimes, it exhausted her, especially since this wasn’t Riverrun.

Winterfell was completely different. It was cold and grey. She had expected as much, but it still startled her when she got up in the morning. There were still a few disorienting mornings when she’d get up expecting Riverrun, only to look out and see snow during the summer. Of course, winter was still coming to an end and held on tight to the North, but it was still strange for her.

Suddenly the door opened, creaking loudly. Ned Stark peered into the room. “My lady–?”

“Sh!” Catelyn pressed a finger to her lips. Ned straightened up and shut his mouth. She glanced back at Robb, who remained asleep despite the noise, and tiptoed over to the door. Carefully, she slid through the door and slowly shut it. “I’m sorry for being rude to you, my lord; I only just got him to sleep.”

“You don’t need to apologize; you did nothing wrong.” Ned looked properly abashed. There had not been a baby in this castle for a very long time, and he was still getting used to it. Her young lord husband was only twenty-one, but he already looked tired and worn from his duties as Lord of Winterfell. She knew this burden had not been meant to be his and he wore the title heavily. So often, she tried to lighten him up, but she was worried that he might always be morose and sad. He’d gained a wife and son, but had lost nearly all of his family too.

Catelyn fiddled with her fingers in front of her. “Did you have something to ask me, my lord?” They’d been married for a year, but had only just started living with one another in the past month. Now that the Rebellion was over and Robert Baratheon was king, Ned had returned to the North. He’d stopped in Riverrun, so that she could travel to Winterfell with him. They’d been living together as husband and wife for a month, and it made for more than a few awkward moments. He was still hesitant in bed, giving her space which she was still unsure if she wanted or not. He was very proper and chaste with her, almost too much. In response, she was equally shy around him.

“Oh, I just–” He seemed to struggle with the words, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. He’d had long hair before the war had started, but it had been cut short after he’d received a head wound. It was only now starting to grow out again. She liked it this length, although the one time she’d told him that he’d stopped talking altogether. “I came to see if you wanted to go on a ride around the grounds. You’ve been cooped up in the castle since coming here and I thought–” He turned a bit red in the cheeks, like when the cold wind blew against his face. “I thought you might to see what’s outside of the castle and I could…show you around.”

The thought of going on a ride absolutely delighted Catelyn. As a girl, she’d ridden all the time. It was something she was fairly good at, though not nearly as good as most of the men and women here that were trained to ride. She was sure that Ned had learned to ride before he’d learned to swim, the complete opposite of Catelyn. Besides, she’d been stuck in the castle for far too long, but had been too timid to ask anyone to take her on a ride. Her excitement must’ve shown on her face, but then she looked hesitantly back to the door where the sleeping baby laid behind.

“We have plenty of people that can look after Robb while you’re away,” Ned pointed out. “You don’t have to be there every second. You should have some time to yourself as well.”

 _And with your husband,_ she added in her mind.

Catelyn bashfully smiled up at him. “I would love that, my lord, thank you.”

It took her longer to get ready for the ride than she expected. Of course, it was different here than at Riverrun and one of the women had to get all the coats and gloves that Catelyn would need. At first, she’d felt a little off balanced at being covered up so much, but once she smoothed her skirts out and fixed her cloak, she felt ready for the ride. She didn’t realize how nervous she was about it until she reached the stables and saw Ned with the horse she had road here on.

Before she could announce her arrival, Ned looked up and spotted her. “Are you sure you need all those layers?”

She blushed. “I wasn’t sure what to expect…”

Ned walked the horse up to her and let her take the reins. The horse was bigger than the ones she had grown up riding. It had intimidated her at first and it still did now. Still, she smiled at her husband and then at the horse, preparing to get on the saddle. It would be difficult in these skirts, but she didn’t want to ask for help. However, Ned seemed to notice her hesitation. “Are you, ah, are you okay to ride her?”

“I can handle it.” Catelyn did not want to admit that the horse was too big for her to get on alone. When she’d gotten on it the first time, her father had been the one to help her on it. Ned had trotted over to her afterwards. For the time they’d been living together, she had been in command and helped him take charge of Winterfell. She went to get on the horse when her foot slipped and she fell backwards, letting out a yelp.

And she fell right back into Ned’s arms. He caught her easily. “Are you alright, my lady?”

Catelyn turned around, still in his arms, leaning against his chest. She suddenly realized that this was the closest she’d been to him since they’d conceived Robb a year ago. Even when they were lying in bed together, they struggled to be close to one another. They were so painfully awkward around one another. She had tried to reach him in those moments at night, but he was uncomfortable and distant around her. She knew that it would take time for them to become intimate again, but it had been slow going. It made her nervous about herself, even though she knew that he didn’t mean it.

“Ned?” They were so close to each other, their faces a mere inches apart.

“Yes, my lady?” His eyes were grey and wide.

A swell of bravery came over her. Without warning, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him. It wasn’t near the first time they had kissed, but for the first time, there was no sense of duty behind it. At first, he was startled and froze up against her, but a second later, he warmed up to her. His arms wrapped around her and he kissed her more deeply than he had ever before. She opened her mouth to his and slid her hands to his face. Gods, it felt so good. She hadn’t been kissed like this since…since Brandon… and she’d been so scared that she never would be again. Ned had always been distant and reserved, but for the first time, she realized that he was also capable of passion.

Catelyn pulled away for a second, if only to breath. “You don’t have to call me ‘my lady’ all the time.” She gave him a quick peck and a little grin. “You know my name by now, I trust.”

Ned kissed her deeply again, and her head began to spin. “I do,” he mumbled against her lips. “Let’s take the ride tomorrow.” When he pulled away from her, his cheeks were red again. “I have something else in mind, if you don’t mind, Cat. We, ah, we ought to get to know each other more in–”

She pressed her lips against his again, already ahead of him.

 


	2. Don't Let Your Heart Grow Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catelyn knows that she was told that she and Ned must keep separate beds while she's with child, but some things are just too much to bear.

When Catelyn woke with a start, she opened her eyes wide and found herself alone in her bedchamber. Sighing to herself, she pushed herself up into the sitting position and looked around the room. It was completely quiet, except for the sound of bugs outside. She knew that she would not be able to fall back asleep again, not after the nightmare that she’d had. She could not even remember what she had dreamed, only that it greatly disturbed her and her heart was still racing in her chest.

Pushing the blankets away from her, she swung her legs over the bed and then slowly put her feet on the ground. While the castle was warm from the hot springs, it did not make the stone any less cooler to the touch. Using her hands, she was able to push herself off the bed and wandered over to the window so that she could look outside. The moon was peeking ever so slightly out from behind grey clouds. It was cloudy here, more often than not, though the days that were sunny were the most beautiful. She loved the way that the sun reflected off of the summer snows here. It had been years, but she found herself still getting used to the idea that there was snow almost all the time. Riverrun had been nothing like this place.

Catelyn looked down at her hands resting on her swollen belly. She was with child for the third time and they had taken all the precautions they could. When she had found herself pregnant after Robb, she and her lord husband had been filled with so much joy, Ned especially. Though he had done his best to hide his excitement, he had found himself loving the fact that he could watch her grow and see the progress of her pregnancy.

And then she had miscarried and she had been filled with so much desolation that she’d hid in her bedchamber for two weeks and had refused any company for a week. She had even denied Ned her presence, knowing full well that it wounded him but unable to find it in herself to care at the time. She wished that she would have let him be with her now, for she had been so depressed and his solemn nature would somehow have comforted her, but she had been so ashamed. How could she have failed him like that? When she had finally let him in, he had assured her that she had not failed him, could never fail him as she had already produced a son on their first time as man and wife, and that he still loved her.

Catelyn had thought of all the times that her own mother had miscarried. Hers and Lysa’s births had been easy, but it was a son that Lord Hoster Tully had needed, especially since her Uncle Brynden had seemed fully intent on never marrying and producing heirs. Her mother had miscarried multiple times before she’d had Edmure and once more afterwards until she had died giving birth to a stillborn.

 _“I don’t want you to kill yourself for me,”_ Ned had told her, reminding her of what her mother had done for her father, all for the sake of an heir.

And so, for this pregnancy, they had decided to do whatever they could to make sure that Catelyn remained healthy, safe, and happy. The moment they had found out that she was with child again, they had not lain together. That hurt her, but they had not wanted to stress her or the baby any. Catelyn wasn’t so sure that it was helping, seeing as how it only made her feel sad and alone whenever she lied down and woke up, but it was assumed that it was for the best and so they went with it.

Standing in her bedchamber alone now, staring out the window, Catelyn could not see how under any circumstances being separated from the man she had grown to love over the past few years helped this pregnancy any. She wanted him next to her. She wanted to hear him breathing, feel his heartbeat under her cheek when she laid her head against his chest, bask in his warmth under the blankets. She just wanted her Ned.

Catelyn decided right then and there what she had to do. She grabbed a robe out of the armoire and wrapped it snugly around her body. After opening the door quietly, she peered to the left and right down the corridors. There was no one in sight. It was so late at night that even the handmaidens and servants had gone to bed and no one would be up to ready breakfast for a few more hours. She crept down the hallway on her tiptoes – or well as quietly as she could be as pregnant as she was.

When she found the door to the room that she was looking for, Catelyn stopped and just stared at it for a minute.

Thoughts flew through her mind: things like, _I’m being childish,_ and _This is ridiculous,_ and _What if I am not welcomed?_

However, Catelyn ignored all of those thoughts and opened the door anyways. She shut the door, cringing when it made a little squeak, and then silently crept over to the bed. Very slowly, she eased herself down, one hand on the bed and the other under belly, until her full weight was on it. She edged herself closer to the other figure into the bed until she was molded against his body and she was able to truly relax for the first time in many nights. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and readied herself to fall asleep again. She didn’t need to be under the covers when she had his warm body next to hers. Just the comforting smell of him was enough to lull her to sleep.

But then he had to go and wake up, of course.

“What…?” Ned’s voice was groggy and his eyes were closed even as he turned on his side. When he opened them, he almost jumped in bed, but Catelyn put a hand on his arm to steady him. “Cat…what are you…?”

“I missed you,” Catelyn told him in mousy voice, the words catching in her throat and doing their best not to escape. It was more than that. She had ached for him, just for his presence. Though she had lived here for years, Winterfell still sometimes felt so foreign to her and Ned was the one person that reminded her that it was home.

Ned put one of his hands on her face, making her lean into his touch. “But Maester Luwin told us that we could not lie together until at least a month after you gave birth…”

“Just because we cannot lie together as man and wife does not mean that we cannot sleep next to each other,” Catelyn insisted. When Ned made a move to protest, she put both of her hands on his face and pressed her lips against his. He immediately ceased protesting and kissed her back eagerly. Warmth bloomed inside of her chest, even as the scruff on his face rubbed against her like a burn. She didn’t care. She just kept kissing him, even deepening it probably more than she should have, making a groan rumble deep in his throat.

Ned stopped then and pressed his forehead against hers. “You are far too persuasive.” He kissed her forehead and smiled sleepily at her. “I missed you as well, my lady.”

“If it makes you feel less guilty, I can leave when the sun rises so that we will not get in trouble,” Catelyn told him, a sly grin on her face.

Ned laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He rested his chin on top of her head. “What good is being the Lord of a castle if I cannot do what I want? And what I want is to sleep next to my beautiful wife.”

And to think, Catelyn had once been terrified that quiet and somber Eddard Stark would never love her and that she would feel alone in Winterfell for the rest of her days. Oh, how wrong she had been and how glad she was for that.

 


End file.
